Canadian small business federation upset after some big box stores fail COVID-19 inspections

The president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is calling on the Ontario government to lift some restrictions for small businesses after it learned that a large number of big box stores have not been properly following lockdown orders. 

CFIB President Dan Kelly says 30 per cent of big box retailers were issued non-compliance orders by provincial inspectors over the weekend.

He's demanding that, at very least, non-essential independent business owners to be able to operate a pick-up or delivery service, beyond their restrictive operating hours. 

“A trickle of income is better than none at all during the lockdown,” Kelly adds.

The CFIB president says the province of Alberta's non-essential business practices allow 15 per cent of what would be a typical amount of patrons to enter their premises, as long as they are following all COVID-19 safety guidelines.

With most lockdown home deliveries being taken care of by Canada Post and major third party companies like Amazon, Kelly thinks those services actually compromise stricter lockdown orders more than a small business could, as there are more people involved in the handling of one product than just one person operating a small business. 

“Curbside delivery is time limited under Ontario's lockdown orders. You can allow a third party courier to deliver it, but you're not allowed to deliver yourself, as a small business order.” 

Kelly says the Ontario government believes big box stores are more inclined to follow stricter lockdown rules than non-essential small businesses, but after last weekend, he thinks the province needs to make a change to its rules.